Author Bio: Kenneth Bliss is an unabashed nerd, having read hundreds of sci-fi/fantasy books and played TTRPGs and MMORPGs for decades. He turned his sights to the written word to express his love of God, sci-fi/fantasy, and psionics. He lives near a small town in Michigan with his two cats.
The Literary Role-Playing Game genre, known as LitRPG, is a growing genre due to the many tabletop and online RPG systems existing today. Canthany Rising – A Christian LitRPG Adventure is a novelette which takes a new approach to the genre by scrapping many of the core tropes. Gone are the overpowered characters, cheat codes, and “Munchkining.” The characters must learn how health points, skills, weapons, creation-magic, and psionic systems work in this new world in order to survive. Actions have consequences. Death is real, and so is God.
Canthany Rising is also unusual in that it starts at the beginning, as in the Garden of Eden. Instead of humans being transported to the gaming world, seven animals are sent by God, whom they call the Three-Who-Are-One, to the world of Canthany where they are transformed into humanoid forms. Unfortunately, a fallen angel named Ashtoreth follows them with the intent of enslaving them. God doesn’t leave them defenseless, though; He sends a pair of time-traveling servants to aid them.
Even with their help, surviving Day One will be a challenge.
Rising came about as part of a plan for a larger, connected universe. While adventures take place in Canthany, a set of science-fiction adventures take place on Earth in the near-future. Psionics (telepathy, telekinesis), faith, angels, and devils are the common components in both worlds.
In the larger universe, the two will eventually meet. This leaves Canthany with thousands of years in which it can host an array of genres, including Western, steampunk, modern-day, and science-fiction. The only hindrance to writing them is time.
There is a dearth of books on the market which can claim to be clean, Christian, and written for TTRPG or MMORPG gamers. Rising hopes to break through with its fresh take on the genre. Rising is intended to reach the Christian gamer audience looking for fun, action-filled stories with heart, morals, and faith. No profanity. No sex. Action/battle scenes will be prevalent, but they won’t be graphic in nature. These stories are fit for teen readers and up. Church youth groups will love these stories.
Canthany Rising is one of three planned novelette- to novella-sized stories with the same core characters as they learn how to live in the world and systems. These, along with a planned novelette trilogy in the other world, will be released over the next two years.
Canthany Rising is currently available for preorder on Amazon. More information can be found on the author’s website.
Website link: https://www.kebauthor.com
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Canthany-Rising-Christian-LitRPG-Adventure-ebook/dp/B0GZ598XPX
